I spent the majority of my last visit to Houston in my hotel room, and I’m not even sorry. The moment I arrived in Hotel Alessandra, located downtown in the city’s “GreenStreet” shopping and dining center, I knew I was in for a treat.

My room had mistakenly been booked for two days later, but the front desk clerk found me a room right away, and the butler made conversation with me as he showed me up. The room had a giant king-sized bed, a couch, a table and chair, two bedside tables, two lamps, a TV, and walls completely covered in windows for views of the city.

As I got ready to go out, someone brought up a bottle of wine and a cheese plate. The rainfall shower helped me recharge after a long day of travel, and with a table and bench inside, I could even bring my food and wine in. The travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, and body wash lasted me two showers, which is rare for someone with hair as long as mine.

The vicinity of the hotel was home to dozens of bars, restaurants, and shops, with attractions including the Discovery Green, Toyota Center, Downtown Aquarium, Market Square, and the Downtown Historic District within a mile. As I mentioned, though, I didn’t take advantage of that as much as I could’ve. I stayed in and ordered room service twice during my stay, with food ranging from a peanut butter and jelly smoothie to lobster mac and cheese. The food was great but expensive — I paid over $50 for the mac and cheese and a caesar salad.

Hotel Alessandra Fitness Center (Photo Courtesy Hotel Alessandra)

Even though I was traveling alone, I didn’t get lonely. Every time I left and returned to the hotel, the staff by the door greeted me. One even accompanied me to the gym and chatted while I worked out. My favorite part of Houston is the people’s friendliness, and staying at Hotel Alessandra reminded me of that.

Rooms:

Large king size bed with white washable comforters and sheets and four pillows. Small fridge. Minibar with a large variety of drinks and snacks. Coffee machine.

Rooms can be reserved for up to five people.

Separate sections of bathroom for shower and toilet, table and bench in shower, good-sized shampoo, soap, and conditioner bottles.

Tech:

Wifi – Free fast easy

Plugs – Charging plugs built into bedside tables on each side of the bed

Family-friendly amenities:

Pool – Outdoor pool open until 10pm

Minibar/snack options for kids – Kids menu in room service

Food options:

Restaurant on site, room service you can order on a tablet next to the bed

Breakfast included? Available? In-room possible? – Available both in restaurant and in-room

Nearby food options – lots of bars and restaurants

Parking:

Garage with valet service

Suzannah Weiss

SuzannahWeiss is a freelance writer and editor currently serving as a contributing editor for Teen Vogue and a regular contributor to Glamour, Bustle, Vice, Refinery29, Elle, The Washington Post, and more. She authored a chapter of Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World and frequently discusses gender, sex, body image, and social justice on radio shows and podcasts. Whoopi Goldberg cited one of her articles on The View in a debate over whether expressing your desires in bed is a feminist act. (She thinks it is.)

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